


i swear to god i wasn't born to fight.

by kiddingway



Category: ITZY (Band), LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Coliseum-Style, Eden - Freeform, F/F, Fighting, Gore, Not your typical zombie apocalypse, Sanctuary, Violence, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, isnt this gonna be fun, this is gonna get Messy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:00:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24260050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiddingway/pseuds/kiddingway
Summary: Haseul never thought she'd be in a situation like this.She never would have imagined herself being pitted up against tens of zombies Coliseum-style for people's sick amusement.Haseul was never much of a fighter to begin with.
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Minatozaki Sana, Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Jo Haseul, Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip, Hwang Yeji/Shin Ryujin, Jo Haseul/Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul
Comments: 17
Kudos: 42





	1. the world has gone insane.

_[Haseul]_

"Are you gonna check the basement, Jungeun?"

Haseul felt her heart plummet. _She_ was in the basement. 

" _No, no, no, no, please_ ," she hissed, pressing herself against the concrete wall under the stairs, her pocket knife clutched tightly in her fist as she prayed that whoever it was above wouldn't come down and find her. 

"I don't wanna go down there." 

Haseul didn't even know what time it was, all she knew was that it was still dark when she was woken from her sleep and heard someone trying to break down the front door. She was lucky enough to grab her backpack from the corner of the bedroom and hightail it across the living room and into the basement. 

(She nearly tripped over her own two feet in her haste down the stairs but with the possibility of her temporary shelter being raided, Haseul had to rush to get somewhere safe.)

In hindsight, she should have run out the backdoor and made her escape through there, but—to her luck—it was boarded up and impossible to get through lest she had a sledgehammer to break it down. But, alas, she was only equipped with a small pocket knife that barely served its purpose. 

"I don't care if you don't wanna go down there." Haseul flinched at the hardened voice. They were both women, that much Haseul knew, but she had no idea if they were hostile or violent—all she could do was hope that they were friendly or, at the very least, let her leave without a problem arising. "There could be supplies down there."

Chances were slim, she knew that, but she still hoped for the best. 

"Then why can't you go down there and look for yourself? For all we know, there could be a Stalker down there." 

Despite the banter the two women were throwing at each other, it did nothing to soothe Haseul's nerves. Her stomach churned and her grip around her knife was slipping from how clammy her hands were getting, she hugged her knees closer to her chest in order to at least smother the fear that continued to rise the longer the strangers lingered in the house. 

"Don't be ridiculous. If there was a Stalker, it would've already come up the stairs. Besides, _I_ was gonna check this floor." 

"What if I wanna check this floor."

"Jesus, Jungeun, what does it matter?"

" _Exactly_ , Sooyoung. What does it matter?"

In any other given circumstance, Haseul would have found the interaction between these two strangers amusing—endearing, even—but given her _current_ circumstance, she just couldn't imagine how they were acting so casually in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Even if Haseul still had a hard time believing she was living in the midst of one, she never thought she could remain so calm.

"You know what?" Haseul's breath stuttered, already anticipating what was coming next. "Fine, I'll go down there. Just know, you'll have last pick next week." 

"Are you kidding me?" One of them whined before some kind of thud sounded out from above her—had she stomped her foot down? It was surreal, Haseul was nearly convinced she was in the middle of some sort of fever dream. 

However, rather than a verbal response, Haseul was met with heavy footsteps walking down the creaky stairs above her, particles of dust falling from above settling on top of her head. Holding her breath, Haseul could only press herself more under the crevice of the stairs, blindly trusting that it was dark enough in the basement to hide her. But when she saw a beam of light cascading around the room, she felt her heartbeat skip and felt her fear spike. 

The woman who had come down the stairs stepped further into the basement, her movements slow and leisurely as if she had no rush or urgency—as if she were browsing through some store. She headed for the shelves on either side of the room, picking up the useless items that had been left behind by its previous tenants and ignored by Haseul when she first arrived at the house.

But with it being so dark in the basement—and with the flashlight in her hand pointed out in front of her—Haseul was only able to make out the silhouette of the woman, noticing the clear height difference between the two of them and instantly concluding that she would not be able to take her on even if she tried. 

(Especially not when Haseul caught the glimpse of some sort of weapon in the woman's other hand, something much larger and lethal than her puny pocket knife.)

"Anything yet, Soo?" Instinctively flinching at the loud voice, Haseul shrunk impossible further into her little corner. 

Clearly irritated, the woman responded back, "Aren't you supposed to be searching the rooms?" Out of frustration or annoyance—Haseul wasn't exactly sure, maybe a mixture of both—the woman more or less slammed down some sort of bottle on one of the shelves, rattling the other things placed there. 

The person above descended down the stairs, but only down three steps. "This house is small," she complained, the stairs creaking beneath her weight. "There's nothing here. Why'd you even wanna look around?"

Haseul watched the beam of light on the concrete wall still from where the woman stood, only slightly bobbing up and down. "I had a feeling..." she trailed off, standing still for a few moments, and, for a second, Haseul thought that she would just turn back around and march up the stairs after finding her search fruitless. 

But, well, Haseul's luck never had a clean streak. 

Because then the woman turned around, her flashlight cast toward the staircase and briefly landing on Haseul, making her flinch at the presence and raise her pocket knife meekly as she hid her face in the crook of her elbow. Haseul's eyes were squeezed shut, her entire body quivering as she waited for the killing blow to her head or to be dragged out of her hiding place. 

Except nothing came. 

Of all the possibilities, Haseul never could have imagined a soothing and calm voice—a stark contrast to the authoritative tone she had heard earlier—calling out to her. "Hey, you okay there?"

However, Haseul knew to be cautious even around people who seemed friendly, having learned enough through the previous group she had traveled with. But indulging in the olive branch being handed to her, Haseul peeked her eyes over her elbow—noting how the flashlight was being shined towards her but not in her eyes—as she saw the woman still a distance away, almost acting as if Haseul were some unpredictable wild animal about to lunge. 

But Haseul was nothing of the sort. 

"Who're you talking t— oh." The other woman who accompanied her came down the stairs and stood next to her friend—Haseul could only assume they were friends of some sort—and despite the flashlight providing some sort of vision, Haseul was still unable to make out what the two looked like. Only being able to distinguish that they were both taller than her, that both of them had a flashlight _and_ some sort of weapon in their hands, and that there was now no possible way for her to escape. 

Ignoring her presence, the woman who found her stepped forward slowly, cautiously, still acting as if Haseul would dart away at a moment's notice. "We're not gonna hurt you." Haseul desperately wanted to believe it. All she'd like is to meet people who had no intention of hurting her or robbing her or leaving her for dead. But she couldn't be sure—she could _never_ be sure. 

Despite every single nerve in half of her body screaming at her to stay strong and defend herself—or the other half of her body telling her to give in to her flight response and sprint past them up the stairs—Haseul slowly lowered the pocket knife she had been holding up feebly. 

Her decision to take down what little defenses she had up seemed to have appealed to the woman as she took another step closer, further closing the distance between them and eliminating the slim possibility for Haseul to escape (if need be, Haseul couldn't help but believe that these women had no ill intentions with her). 

"You're alone, right?" she asked, voice still soft and quiet. Haseul hesitated for a moment, looking between the two of them before she looked to the one closest to her and nodding shakily. She watched as they turned toward each other, some unspoken conversation between them that Haseul couldn't decipher before they turned back toward her simultaneously. "Wanna get out of here?"

Haseul was unsure whether she was talking about the basement or the house as a whole, but she couldn't dwell on it too much or even come up with an answer as the woman maneuvered her flashlight to her other hand so that she was holding two things at one time, and then extending her free hand out for Haseul to take. 

And maybe it was Haseul's blind hope that she found people who weren't going to hurt her—besides, if they were going to hurt her, or take her stuff, wouldn't they have done something by now? Wouldn't they have cleaved her with whatever weapons they had or use their numbers to their advantage and leave Haseul beaten and bruised while they stole her belongings? Haseul believed that they would have. 

So she hesitantly reached out, her hand finding the woman's and gingerly wrapping her fingers around her palm, allowing herself to get pulled up by her and away from the staircase. 

"What's your name?" she asked, already directing Haseul around the other woman after letting go of her hand and instead placing it on Haseul's shoulder as they made their way toward the stairs. 

"H-Haseul." Her voice came out weaker than she would have liked and she stuttered her name like she was some new kid introducing herself in front of her class, but she was still finding it difficult to wrap her mind around the given situation as she trekked her way up the stairs. 

"Haseul," the woman repeated as if testing the name on her tongue. "Well, the pleasure's all mine. I'm Sooyoung, and—" she turned her head over her shoulder to direct the woman behind them following, "that's Jungeun."

It didn't exactly take a genius to make the connection from how loudly they had been talking earlier. Although, it was a little surprising not hearing anything else from Jungeun considering how vocal she was with Sooyoung earlier—however, Haseul chalked it up to being closed up around strangers.

"Listen, Haseul," Sooyoung started as soon as they resurfaced from the basement and up to the living room. With it still being dark outside, it was still difficult to make out the distinct details of Sooyoung but Haseul could automatically assume that she was around her age, if not at least a little younger or older than her—and the same went to Jungeun. "Have you heard about..." she trailed off, her hand holding the flashlight and her weapon—Haseul was now able to see that it was some sort of ax—slightly waved around as if she were trying to find the right word. "Sanctuaries? Y' know, safe places for survivors to kinda bunker down for a while?"

And while Haseul's heard of them she never really thought they were real. The only time she had talked about it was with her old group when they tried to come up with what kind of solutions would help beat the apocalypse, so, naturally, the topic of sanctuaries surfaced. But they never thought there were actual sanctuaries out there. 

So, Haseul shook her head, letting herself be lead out the front door, briefly noting the jagged slashes from when they broke through the lock (Haseul could only imagine it was Sooyoung who had broken down the door with her ax).

"Well, lucky for you," Sooyoung continued, seeming undeterred by Haseul's lack of knowledge over the topic. "Jungeun and I are part of one—actually, I'm the 'founder' of it, so to speak." Despite not looking at Sooyoung when she was saying it, Haseul could just feel the pride emanating from Sooyoung. But nonetheless, the arrogance aside, Haseul was quite impressed. "We call it 'Eden', a safe place for everyone who seeks shelter, food, water, protection—you name it," she continued on when Haseul remained mum, seeming as if she's recited it a hundred times. And maybe she has. 

They stopped right outside the house, standing on the sidewalk next to the driveway as Haseul stared at a car she _knew_ wasn't there before. It took her a moment to comprehend that Sooyoung and Jungeun had driven it out to the small neighborhood; it just had been so long since Haseul had seen a functioning car.

Haseul was brought back to the situation at hand when she watched Jungeun climb into the backseat wordlessly, turning to Sooyoung questioningly, expecting her to follow suit and climb into the driver's seat but she saw Sooyoung looking at her instead. Expectantly at that, and it suddenly clicked in Haseul's mind that she was inviting her to seek refuge at her sanctuary. 

"For- for everyone?" she asked, unsure whether she was stepping over boundaries or intruding. It seemed too good to be true.

"Everyone who's willing to join," Sooyoung responded, taking her hand off Haseul's shoulder to dig through her jacket's pocket. "I can guarantee you it's a hell of a lot better than campin' out in shitty neighborhood all by yourself."

Haseul assumed that it wasn't supposed to be a jab—or if it was, then it was a good one at convincing her to go along with them. But she couldn't find herself disagreeing; how could she? Ever since she left her previous group, Haseul's been alone and fending for herself. She couldn't rely on someone to watch her back or for someone to accompany her when she went through creepy abandoned buildings or even sharing stories before going to sleep. Haseul couldn't lie, she missed the company. 

So when Sooyoung opened the passenger door for her, Haseul found herself climbing in, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and placing it between her feet (tucking her pocket knife in one of the side pockets after realizing she still had it in her hand). Fastening her seatbelt came like second-nature to her, but it still felt so odd after months and months of not having done it, she couldn't lie, she somehow missed the feeling (even with how odd it sounded; it just brought a sense of security over Haseul she forgot she was missing).

Not long after, Sooyoung got into the car and revved up the engine, bringing the car to life and, ultimately, pleasantly surprising Haseul as she looked around eagerly. She couldn't remember the last time she was even in a car, much less one that actually functioned. It made it seem like things were a little more normal; it made the nostalgia come back a little bit stronger when she started thinking back on all the car rides she used to take with her parents whether if it was a short one to the grocery store or a long one when they were on vacation.

That longing feeling hit like a freight train. 

Instead, to block out the memories, she turned to Sooyoung—finally being able to see clearly what she looked like with the headlights on with her short hair (almost similar to hers) and kind eyes—and asked her, "How'd you even get a car to work?" 

She watched the grin form on Sooyoung's face as she turned over her shoulder to back out of the driveway. "The perks of having a sanctuary means having a lot of people with a lot of different perks and talents." 

"People meaning me." Haseul was surprised to hear Jungeun speaking up, briefly looking over to see her casually curled up in the back seat looking out the window. 

"Right," Sooyoung added, unfazed by Jungeun's sudden interruption. "Jungeun fixed up the car—well, most of the cars at Eden—and now we have reliable transportation." She clicked her tongue as she faced the road now, steadily rolling the car out of the neighborhood. "They won't last forever, but we'll make the most out of them."

Haseul could only nod, finding herself in impressed at the prospect of someone fixing a universal problem so easily. She couldn't help but wonder what other kinds of people Sooyoung had to make her Eden a viable sanctuary like she so praised. "How many people are there? In- in Eden, I mean."

She watched as Sooyoung trained her eyes ahead, tilting her head from side to side in though. "Around thirty of us, probably? That sound right, Jungeun?" She's met with a hum as a response. "Yeah, something around that. We're trying to find more people but, well," she shrugged and turned to Haseul, flashing a small smile before turning back, "can't win 'em all." 

Behind her, she heard Jungeun scoff, but Haseul dismissed it and thought that they just had trouble convincing other people. Which, she couldn't exactly blame them; some people might not need a sanctuary or want any help from others or even trust other people around them. Haseul nearly thought the same, but after nearly a month without people around her, she just couldn't pass up on the opportunity. 

Haseul had a lot of questions, but she didn't want to look overbearing and clueless. Not until they actually arrived at Eden and she had a chance to settle down, then and only then would she indulge in her curiosity and ask around. But until then, Haseul was content to curl her feet up onto the car seat, wrapping her arms around her legs and rest her head on her knees as she watched out the window, admiring and relishing at how peaceful it all seemed. Enjoying everything that passed by in a dark blur and letting the feeling of nostalgia wash over her despite her previous efforts of pushing them back. 

It was a nice feeling—a feeling she readily welcomed—and she couldn't help letting her mind drift to what it would be like being around other people who sought out a safe place to live while the world outside rages in turmoil. And it gave Haseul hope that there were people out there—like Sooyoung and Jungeun—creating these types of sanctuaries for people to find some solace and restart their chaotic lives from the ground up.

That's what was gonna happen with Haseul. She won't know what exactly will happen when she gets to Eden, but what she does know was that she'll work hard to show Sooyoung that she appreciated being there. She'll pick up some job and work her way up to earn her respect and her place in Eden. She'll do that much. 

Her heart felt lighter; it felt like a gigantic weight was lifted off her shoulders now that she no longer had to worry about finding a good place to stay that wasn't infested with zombies, or having to ration her food to last her the week, or even having to sleep with one eye open. Haseul felt positive and optimistic for the first time in a long time, no matter how cheesy and cliche it might've sounded, Haseul couldn't care less. 

She was going somewhere with protection and that's all she could ever ask for. 

But when she noticed how far along they were going—leaving behind the small suburbs and towns that she never got the chance to explore—Haseul couldn't help but express her curiosity to Sooyoung. "Where is Eden, anyway?" she asked without turning away from the window, watching as the trees became scarcer and there were fewer buildings. 

Even without looking, Haseul could feel the grin on Sooyoung's face, "A private resort on a private beach."

Haseul turned excitedly toward Sooyoung (not so much a grin on her face but more of an arrogant smirk, still, Haseul wasn't too far off) with her jaw to the ground. "A resort?" she sputtered out, barely believing it herself. 

"Mhm," Sooyoung hummed as she made a turn onto a gravel road, making Haseul eagerly turn to the window again for any sign of the beach. 

"I didn't realize how close to the beach I was!" she commented awestruck—mostly to herself. 

Before, when she had thought about how a sanctuary seemed too good to be true, Haseul felt that feeling tenfold when she was told Eden was held on a resort. It just didn't seem real. But then she saw the silhouette of some gates in front of her, the looming shadow of a with some light peeking through some rooms, she swore she could even see the ocean a little bit farther off in the distance. Haseul was almost convinced she was dreaming (she even pinched her arm to make sure she wasn't).

When the car got a little closer to the large gate, she noticed there were a few people posted on the other side (however, when the headlights reached them she saw that they were armed with large firearms and while the sight would have made her feel uneasy, it only made her feel more secure at the thought of the protection displayed) who hastily began pulling the gate open for the car to roll through. 

"Haseul," Sooyoung announced, successfully garnering her attention as she turned to look at her. "Welcome to Eden."

Before Haseul could even respond, she felt a hand wrap around her forehead from behind before a damp, white cloth was aggressively pressed to her mouth and nose, eliciting a fearful and surprised noise from Haseul as her hands automatically shot up to grab at the forearm around her. But she was hit with a wave of dizziness after she detected some type of chemical odor, followed by fatigue that had her struggling to keep her eyes open, and then the energy she was putting in her arms to try and remove the cloth was faltering. 

And everything went black.

* * *

hello there :]

i give you another zombie apocalypse fic bc they are very fun and my favorite :)

[twitter](https://twitter.com/Kiiddway)   
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	2. i'm innocent, keep me out of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's out it's out im sorry it took so long and IM SORRY IF SOME PARTS ARE REALLY BAD AND SLOPPY I RUSHED IT SO MUCH i just wanted it out for you guys but i promise the next chapter is gonna get much much MUCH more interesting AND more questions will be answered thanks for readin guys
> 
> twitter

[ _Haseul_ ]

Haseul woke with a start, sitting up abruptly only to immediately wince when the sun was blinding her above, raising her hand to rub away the brief flash of pain and the black spots that obstructed her vision. There was also some kind of unfamiliar weight around her ankle and when she moved her leg a bit, she was met with an unfamiliar clinking noise. Removing her hand, looking down at her foot only to stare in confusion when she saw a chain securely wrapped around her ankle. 

When she followed the chain up to where it led, she saw that it was wrapped around the base of a tree—a palm tree, at that. And when she looked at the ground, she saw that she was sitting in a patch of overgrown grass. 

Haseul was confused. Completely and utterly confused. 

She tried tugging the chain, trying to see if she could—by some miracle—free herself from the restraint. But then she caught sight of the lock that secured the chain around her ankle. 

"Don't bother." Haseul shot her head up, turning to the voice that belonged to a black-haired woman in a similar state of confinement on the other side of the tree, Haseul only stared bewilderingly, still on edge and a little bleary from abruptly waking herself up. "I already tried and," she gestured behind her, motioning to at least four other people also chained up to different trees, "they did, too."

The six of them were all lined up, two chained up to each tree on a thin stretch of grass. And when Haseul looked to her left, she was met with a large empty pool with an even larger building that must have been clean and well kept at some point, but now looked grimy and defiled with overgrown vines and cracked concrete with fading paint.

And she wasn't exactly sure why it took so long, but it suddenly hit her. Haseul realized exactly where she was.

"No, no, no, hold on," Haseul mumbled, hastily getting up (unintentionally startling the girl next to her) and looking for Sooyoung. Because this had to be some sort of mistake. "Why are we chained up? Where's Sooyoung?" 

She looked all over the base of the resort, her eyes frantically searching for the one person who had _invited_ her to this sanctuary. Who brought her there to start over; for _protection_. Not to be chained up to some palm tree in the middle of some deserted resort. 

"Well," the girl next to her started, seeming much too calm for Haseul's standards. "I'm not really sure, they dropped you off here last night. But, I'm Jinsoul! I was brought here a day ago, they didn't say much to me."

Haseul was bewildered. She just couldn't believe the optimism coming from this girl— _Jinsoul_. There was no way anything around her was real. She _needed_ to talk to Sooyoung.

"Hey!" Haseul flinched from the harsh voice, instinctively stepping back to the tree when she located the source of the voice coming from behind one of the pillars keeping the foundation of some sort of outdoor restaurant. He appeared with a large gun strapped across his chest (Haseul wasn't savvy when it came to firearms, but if she had to guess, he must have been wielding some sort of assault rifle) on the other side of the pool. "Sit the fuck back down!"

Out of absolute fear of the unspoken threat, Haseul obeyed immediately, scooting back until her back hit the tree and the man disappeared behind the pillar once more and allowing Haseul to breathe again.

"Yeah," Jinsoul drawled out beside her, plucking the long grass beneath them. "They don't like it when we stand around."

"Why?" Haseul asked, bringing her legs up to her chest and facing Jinsoul. She just couldn't understand why she was chained up with all the others. Or why she got yelled at for standing up. She just wanted some answers and _not_ be restrained. 

"I dunno. They just don't like it, I guess." Jinsoul shrugged before she looked over her shoulder, bringing up a hand to briefly point behind her. "At least we don't have it as bad as her."

And when Haseul followed her movements, she noticed the small, modern fence line that ran around the perimeter of the resort, separating the small cliff edge that led to the beach below (to which she assumed there was some sort of unseen path that led down to the beach). There were a lot of palm trees scattered around, but there was a small cluster with no leaves that had someone—similar to themselves—chained up to one of the trees, completely exposed to the hot summer sun and scorching sand. Except she simply sat there, and as Haseul squinted to clear up her vision, she saw how badly sunburned her skin was wearing just a tank top and shorts, but she seemed unbothered by it by how her eyes were closed; almost as if she were asleep sitting up. And then Haseul began to notice the added restrains around her hands acting like cuffs and even a chain around her neck, making the look more degrading than Haseul anticipated. 

"What- what'd she do?" she asked hesitantly, bringing a hand up to her forehead to shield the sun from her eyes. She wondered what the girl—looking no older than herself or Jinsoul—could have possibly done to deserve treatment like that; as if she were some wild, feral animal. 

"I don't really know," Jinsoul admitted, sounding just as curious and confused as Haseul. "She must've done something bad to end up like that, though, right?"

Haseul didn't say anything to that, instead continuing to watch the girl all the way out on the beach, completely alone and isolated from everyone else. Haseul had been alone for a month, having stuck by a group since nearly the beginning of the outbreak, but knowing that there were people a short distance away that she couldn't communicate with—it would've driven Haseul insane. 

"Can I ask what your name is? Since it seems like we're gonna be stuck here a while?" When Haseul finally turned to look toward Jinsoul, she saw the way the girl's head was slightly ducked, focused intently on plucking blades of grass out of the ground. Haseul even detected the shy tone Jinsoul had adopted. 

In her panic, she assumed she didn't really give Jinsoul the time of day, so giving her her name was the least she could do at that moment. "Yeah, um." Even then, however, she couldn't stop herself from stuttering. "I'm Haseul." 

It seemed like that was enough for Jinsoul, because she suddenly picked her head up with a bright grin before extending her hand out for Haseul to take. "Pleasure to meet you, Haseul!" 

And maybe Jinsoul's behavior was just that contagious, or maybe Haseul desperately needed a distraction from the lack of information around her. Either way, Haseul leaned forward to grasp Jinsoul's hand, a small smile curling her lips, as she shook her hand in greeting. "You too, Jinsoul." 

♦♦♦

[ _Sooyoung_ ]

Groaning and turning over on her side when she felt the sun's bright rays streaming into her closed eyes, Sooyoung was met with Jungeun grunting in protest when her hand almost knocked her book out of her hand. "Watch it," she grumbled, shifting and moving Sooyoung's hand away.

Undeterred by Jungeun's gruffness, Sooyoung curled her arm around her waist, tugging her closer so she could nudge her nose against Jungeun's hair. "G' morning," she lazily greeted, revealing an even lazier grin when Jungeun grunted again. 

"A little late to be morning," she deadpanned, turning the page and falling silent once she indulged back in her story. Sooyoung only hummed in response, knowing she had overslept after the late night they had the previous day. But she allowed herself to soak in the last few moments of warmth before she would have to succumb to the day's work later. 

For the moment, however, she let the silence fall between them, letting Jungeun read her book while she closed her eyes and rested for a bit. They still needed to find more people for later in the week _and_ more zombies of different varieties. She knew Ryujin has been working around the clock to find some Bruisers or some Runners or even some Ankle Biters to make it all the more interesting. 

"Are you falling asleep again?" Jungeun asked, feeling her shift around to probably look at her. 

"No," Sooyoung mumbled, stretching her arm out before curling back around Jungeun. "Just resting."

"Well," Jungeun started, sighing through her nose, "you better get ready soon. We gotta get some more people for next week, six isn't gonna cut it."

Squeezing her eyes shut and burying her face farther into Jungeun's hair, Sooyoung whined like a child. "I know," she groaned, her voice slightly pitched from her disapproval. "It's so much work. I just wanna relax."

Jungeun scoffed, turning the page again and shifting her body a bit so that there was a sliver of space between her and Sooyoung. "Maybe you would've relaxed more if you didn't haul us both out of bed in the middle of the night to randomly raid a shitty neighborhood."

"I had a lot of energy last night. Besides, we found—what's her name?—Haseul. See, I told you my gut feeling was right." Sooyoung's hand drifted below the covers of the bed, skating over Juungeun's stomach, " _And,_ we also made good use of the rest of our night." 

Much to Sooyoung's dismay, Jungeun completely ignored the suggestive memory brought up, even refusing to acknowledge Sooyoung's advances. Instead, she stayed mum, her eyes roaming up and down her book and occasionally turning the page.

Sooyoung was just about to call it quits—nearly making the decision to get up and simply get dressed so that they could make the rounds around the resort and then take the car out again to try to find some desperate stragglers in search of a home. 

"Gut feeling or not," Jungeun began slowly, halting any movements Sooyoung thought of making, "you still dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night to drive around. I was tired." 

Sooyoung nearly laughed at how Jungeun's voice lilted when she pouted, finding her childish sulking endearing enough to wrap both arms around her in a brief tight squeeze—ignoring the way Jungeun whined and struggled in her hold—before she sat up. "I'll make it up to you," she said quietly, stretching her arms upward and then rubbing Jungeun's knee as she hopped out of bed. Leisurely, she made her way over to their screen door leading to the oceanside balcony, sliding it open before stepping out and enjoying the breeze that welcomed her. She moved past the chairs and table and over to the railing, crossing her arms over it as she looked out toward the water, slightly squinting her eyes from the brightness of the sun, welcoming the warmth that washed over her as she stood. 

Casting her gaze downward, she was able to make out the tiny speck of Hyunjin in her usual spot; chained up and sitting out as the sun baked her relentlessly. 

Sooyoung just couldn't help the satisfied smile that crept onto her lips at the sight.

When she felt two slender arms wrap gingerly around her waist and a chin rest on her shoulder, she felt her smile widen, easily leaning back into Jungeun's embrace the moment she knew she was finally receiving affection. 

"How do you think little Hyunjin's doing?" she smugly asked, one of her hands lightly caressing Jungeun's arms around her. 

"Same as always," she deadpanned as she positioned her head to look down at the aforementioned girl. "Probably one step closer to heatstroke, dehydration, starvation, and exhaustion all at once. All the while still hating your guts."

Pursing her lips and tilting her head from side to side in contemplation, Sooyoung hummed. "Hm, we certainly can't have her dying on us like _that_ ," she sighed, theatrically sounding like she was disappointed at the estimated results. "Well, as long as she's on the verge of collapse, I should be fine."

Jungeun snorted, clearly caught off guard by Sooyoung's statement. " _You_ should be fine? Shouldn't she be in a better condition considering all she's gotta do?"

"Of course not," Sooyoung quickly replied, watching as Hyunjin sat absolutely still; exactly like a statue. "As long as she's nearly incapacitated, she won't try what she did that _one_ time." 

And this time Jungeun did laugh, her hold around Sooyoung tightening slightly. "That's right! That's right. I still can't believe she threw a rock at you." 

Scowling now, Sooyoung rolled her eyes before she glared down at Hyunjin who was completely oblivious to their conversation a few stories above her. "Yeah, and it's her fault that we removed all the rocks from the pit. Little brat," the last part she mumbled out in disdain, only earning another laugh from Jungeun until she felt her lips press against her shoulder. 

"Well, she got what was comin' to her anyway," Jungeun said against her shoulder. "And every time she steps out of line—"

"I put her back in her place," Sooyoung finished with a sigh. "I just don't get why she even tries." 

"Wouldn't you if you were in her position?" 

She turned to Jungeun briefly before she gazed back down at Hyunjin, that underlying feeling of resentment always surfacing whenever she even just thought about her. "If I were her, I'd just do what I can to get out instead of digging the grave deeper for myself," she huffed. "Just like you and Ryujin and all the others."

"Don't lie," Jungeun separated herself from Sooyoung, returning back inside their bedroom. "You love keeping Hyunjin around because she's the only one who can take a Bruiser down singlehandedly. You _love_ using her for entertainment." 

Sooyoung couldn't help the smile that erupted on her face at the accusation because, frankly, it was true; Hyunjin was her main source of entertainment and her main source of winning the majority of the bets. But Sooyoung also derived just as much pleasure and enjoyment from the other who fought in the pit, it was just something that Hyunjin always brought to the table that made Sooyoung want to press her buttons even more. It was evident with a single glance just how much Hyunjin detested Sooyoung for putting her in such a position and then only further provoking her with everything else she's done to her. 

But Sooyoung just couldn't hold back; she _liked_ tormenting Hyunjin. Her taunts and punishments always ended up reflecting on how she fights later on, so how could Sooyoung not instigate?

Sighing wistfully to herself, Sooyoung pushed herself away from the railing before retreating back inside their bedroom, slowly making her way toward the bathroom where Jungeun was getting herself dressed and ready for the day. 

"Ryujin hasn't come back yet, has she?" Sooyoung absently asked as she looked through her arrangement of clothes in the closet, trying to figure out which outfit she'd like to wear when stuck in a car for half the day and introducing herself to new, unsuspecting people. 

"I don't think so. We would've heard the truck anyway." Sooyoung hummed at that before plucking out a plain white t-shirt and some jean shorts, quickly slipping them on before she moved over to where Jungeun was perched over the sink brushing her hair. 

Running a hand through her own hair, Sooyoung leaned forward to take the white sun hat and the big cat-eye sunglasses that she had left on the edge of the bathtub before putting them on. She turned to Jungeun by spinning on her heel, dramatically posing for her. "How do I look?" Sooyoung dropped another pose; her body turned to the side so she looked over her shoulder at Jungeun, her other hand behind her head as she puckered her lips.

She watched as Jungeun looked towards her, her eyes skating up and down Sooyoung's form that she couldn't help but preen at before Jungeun focused back on the mirror to put her hair up. "Cute," was all she mumbled but Sooyoung could see the way her ears reddened significantly that only made Sooyoung smirk. 

"As much as I appreciate the compliment," Sooyoung stepped up to Jungeun, one hand instinctively resting on her hip as she leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to her cheek. "I was trying to go for the cocky, nonchalant wife whose millionaire husband mysteriously disappeared on their honeymoon. I think I look the part, though. Meet me downstairs?" she asked Jungeun, to which she nodded and continued fixing herself up.

With that, Sooyoung made her way out of the bathroom and the bedroom, briefly crossing the living room to grab the ax she had left on the coffee table before heading out to the hallway of her floor. One of the many perks being the founder of Eden meant she had all the luxuries one could only dream about when staying at a resort; the only thing different was that Sooyoung had the entire floor to herself. One of the cons, however, was that she had to make the trek up and down the stairs just to get up to the master suite. And while most of the time it wasn't that much of a bother, there were other times where the trip was very tiresome and bothersome especially when she had a long day. 

But it was a sacrifice she gladly made every day, always proud of the fact that she was able to have organized such a "sanctuary". 

Whistling and swinging her ax leisurely, Sooyoung made her way through the hallway to the stairwell, strolling down the steps—all six flights—before she made it to the lobby where it was a bit busy with some people milling around. Some were making themselves comfortable on the few couches and chairs, conversing among themselves quietly with some food, or water, or coffee in their hands, but most were out doing their jobs. 

Meanwhile, Sooyoung was about to do hers after she had something in her system. 

She made her way past the main lobby—greeting those who said hi—and over to the dining hall, meeting with those who were assigned to prepare meager meals for all who resided in Eden. They had her respect and she made sure that they had the better parts of the resort as a way of saying thanks, even despite knowing they may not like what she does around the place—but they don't say a word about it when they're always guaranteed protection and added perks to their stay. 

Sooyoung made her visit quick, taking a banana and a plate of some scrambled eggs (the cooks were also some of the gardeners and farmers, having to make do with the some of the food and produce they were able to scavenge to form their own makeshift garden around the resort, along with having taken in some livestock; the pigs and chickens to name some), eating at one of the tables with a few others who were eating amongst themselves. When she saw Jungeun walk in and take her own share of food, she sat with Sooyoung and they chatted quietly with each other as they ate until they were finished. 

"Hold on," Sooyoung called out to Jungeun, making her way to the cooks in the back. "Gotta feed the children before we go off on our adventures." She shot Jungeun a wink and a grin, only receiving an eye roll from her before she walked into the prep room. Seeing the six shucked coconuts already placed on one of the tables upon entering, Sooyoung called out thanks to the cooks in the room before tucking her ax under her arm, grabbing them—slightly struggling to balance them all in her arms—and heading out to meet with Jungeun who was waiting for her. 

"So," Jungeun started, taking three of the coconuts as they passed through the lobby, "Hyunjin first or the 'children'?" Sooyoung noticed the way Jungeun's nose scrunched up, chuckling quietly at her expression. 

"Ah," Sooyoung thought about it, biting the inside of her cheek before gesturing to the coconuts in her arms. "Might as well give them their breakfast first, let's make it quick, though." 

"It's closer to lunch, actually," Jungeun quipped, earning a scoff from Sooyoung.

"Then they're gettin' brunch."

♦♦♦

[ _Haseul_ ]

"Look, all I'm sayin' is: Hades had a good reason for doin' all that, y' know? He deserved _way_ better, 'specially with everything he went through."

"No kiddin'." Haseul stared in amazement at Jinsoul, her explanation over the Disney movie villain actually added up. She never thought about the Lord of the Underworld in any other sense than as a witty villain.

Despite their unfortunate circumstances, Jinsoul was a welcome distraction under the hot sun. But even with Jinsoul's interesting topics of discussion, Haseul couldn't ignore the elephant in the room. 

"Listen," she cleared her throat, briefly wiping the sweat that kept forming on her neck, "I know you only got here a day before me, but you're sure no one told you anything about why- why we're all chained up like this?" 

Any hope of information was diminished when she saw Jinsoul purse her lips and shake her head. "I have no idea. Maybe it's some sort of initiation?"

Haseul furrowed her brows in confusion. "Initiation?"

Jinsoul nodded eagerly as if this proposition was the only answer they needed. "Yeah! Like how fraternities get people to join through challenges and stuff—initiation!"

Haseul then widened her eyes, assuming the worst when Jinsoul mentioned fraternities. "You mean hazing? You think they're gonna haze us?" she asked, her voice pitched an octave higher imagining all the things they'd have to go through just to be accepted in. 

"I mean..." Jinsoul only shrugged, leaving the thought up in the air and making Haseul feel lightheaded—from the heat or the idea of hazing, Haseul wasn't exactly sure which was the prime factor in her situation.

Before she could dwell on the subject any longer, Haseul caught sight of the one person she knew she could get answers from. "Wait, it's Sooyoung," she told Jinsoul, patting absently at her knee blindly as she focused on the aforementioned girl heading their way. 

"Finally," Jinsoul mumbled, sidling up next to Haseul, "I was getting hungry."

It startled Haseul that Jinsoul's first thought upon seeing Sooyoung was getting food, but now that it was brought to her attention, Haseul couldn't ignore the pang she felt in her stomach when she realized just how long it had been since she'd eaten anything. Plus, she could feel how dry her throat was. She'd take anything to simmer down the hunger and thirst. 

However, at the sight of three shucked coconuts in her hands—and also three in Jungeun's hand when Haseul saw she was following behind Sooyoung—Haseul felt those needs grow tenfold. She couldn't remember the last time she ate something.

She looked for anything else they might have on them that would serve as some kind of additional food or drinks, but all she saw were the coconuts in their hands.

"W-Wait," she turned to Jinsoul, who turned to her expectantly. "Is that all we get?" Haseul meekly pointed toward the two approaching, who were conversing quietly among themselves. 

"For breakfast, yeah," Jinsoul nodded, biting the inside of her cheek when she focused back on Sooyoung and Jungeun. "They give us other stuff later for lunch and dinner. I had some fruit and some type of pork—it tasted like bacon." Just the description Jinsoul was giving was enough to make Haseul's mouth water; she couldn't remember the last time she had fresh fruit. 

And it seemed like that would finally be the day, because Sooyoung and Jungeun were rounding the edge of the pool with their coconuts in hand—Sooyoung sporting a wide grin and Jungeun looking impassive; staggering contrasts to each other. 

"Good morning, my lovelies!" Sooyoung announced cheerily, almost making Haseul forget about her situation. _Almost_. "Breakfast is served!"

"Sooyoung!" Haseul shifted, causing the chain around her ankle to jingle from her movements. "Sooyoung, there must be some mistake, I-I—" 

"No time for chattin', take the coconut." Haseul couldn't even get her full thought out, being forced to take a coconut when it was shoved into her hands. "Jungeun," Sooyoung called out, beckoning for her to follow her after giving away the coconuts. "Let's go."

And there was no room for argument. Sooyoung was already walking away with Jungeun in tow, leaving behind a stunned Haseul and Jinsoul scooting over to the edge of the empty pool with her coconut in hand. Haseul could only stare hopelessly toward the two figures leaving the pool area of the resort, disappearing when they rounded a corner behind a cover of palm trees.

"Do you need help with your coconut?" Haseul turned to Jinsoul, noticing the way she had scooted far enough to be right in front of the pool sitting criss-cross, her own coconut in her hand with it poised over the edge. 

"Um," trying not to sound so dejected from being brushed off just moments before, Haseul shuffled her way up next to Jinsoul, briefly noticing the other people chained up already beginning to smash their coconuts into the concrete between the pool and the strip of grass. "Yeah," she mumbled, crossing her legs over the warm ground below her, similar to Jinsoul's position. But when she looked at the empty pool, Haseul saw how the bottom was completely covered in sand and the steps on either side of the large pool were blocked off by sharpened wooden spikes nailed down to prevent access into the pool. What was more peculiar to Haseul were the multitude of dark splotches all around the floor and staining the sand, and around the unknown stains were the assortment of different weapons scattered about—ranging from some knives to axes, hammers to wrenches, even some machetes, crowbars, and baseball bats—two of the bats even had nails protruding out of them.

It baffled Haseul. It looked like some sort of fighting pit, but wasn't Eden a sanctuary? She couldn't imagine what could even happen to people who ended up down there. 

"Okay, Youtube taught me how to open these suckers, so watch me. It's honestly kinda easy, 'specially since they've already been shucked for us." It struck her oddly how Jinsoul admitted that she knew how to open a coconut from some video—either out of pure curiosity or simply stumbling upon it by chance, Haseul wasn't sure—but she didn't decide to comment on it. 

She watched as Jinsoul carefully aligned the coconut along the edge of the pool before raising her arm high and throwing it back down. Haseul flinched at the loud sound, listening to the others do the same with their fruit behind her. Jinsoul hit hers down a few more times before a hollowed crack sounded out and clear liquid began to leak out of the crevice, but she was quick to bring it up to her mouth, drinking the water from inside and making Haseul all the more aware of her thirst. 

A few more seconds and Jinsoul set the coconut back down with an audible satisfied sigh, giving Haseul a small smile before it was obscured with her sleeved arm wiping away her mouth. "It's easy! Look," Jinsoul reached forward and traced her pointer finger along a visible line on the coconut, "just make sure to hit it here a couple times and it'll pop open." 

Nodding, Haseul imitated Jinsoul by hovering the coconut over the pool's edge, raising her arm up slowly before slamming it down. She listened to Jinsoul's encouraging cheers, feeling the confidence spike, and her eagerness to drink urge her on Haseul repeated the action two more times before she heard the satisfying crack and the liquid dripping out. 

"Yes!" she exclaimed, hastily bringing it up to her mouth and tasting the fresh water hit her tongue. She drank all that she could, every last drop before she did the same as Jinsoul and sighed in satisfaction. "God," she gasped out, wiping her hand over her mouth. "I was so thirsty." 

"Yeah, well," Jinsoul laughed and Haseul watched curiously as she positioned her coconut back over the edge of the pool. "We also gotta eat." Haseul didn't get a chance to ask what she meant because she was abruptly slamming the coconut again until the crack got bigger. She then positioned her fingers along the edges of the broken shell, prying it slowly open until it came apart into two halves, leaving Haseul shocked. "See?" 

"Whoa," she looked to her coconut, immediately doing the same until she ended up with two halves as well. Just seeing the white flesh inside the shell made her feel elevated—accomplished. She felt like she conquered something she never thought she'd ever have to do. 

Eagerly, Haseul tried picking at the inside of the coconut but found it difficult when her fingers only slipped off. "Uh, yeah." Haseul looked up when she heard Jinsoul, looking at the sheepish expression she wore as she held the coconut over the edge of the pool _again_. "We can't really, uh, pry it off to eat without a knife or somethin'. But we can just break off smaller pieces and just eat around the shell. That's what I did yesterday." 

And with that, the two of them continued hitting their coconuts until they were nothing more than fist-sized broken pieces, tearing away the fibers with their teeth. And while Haseul felt like it wasn't the most fulfilling meal she's ever had but it's far better than eating dry oats or some almonds for a day. Besides, from what she's heard from Jinsoul, they'll get two more meals which felt like such a luxury after nearly months of small, meager portions she's been forced to live by.

"It isn't anything gourmet but," Jinsoul hummed scooting back toward the grass and against the tree with Haseul following suit, "better than nothing, right?" 

Haseul nodded, continuing to gnaw on one of the pieces as she settled against the back of the palm tree, facing the beach and the ocean below. Were she in any other situation—any other circumstance—Haseul would've felt like she was standing in the middle of paradise. 

But with _a lot_ of unanswered questions and many, _many_ doubts ( _and_ the chain around her leg), Haseul just couldn't bring herself to feel optimistic. She had a bad feeling and she couldn't get it out of her system. 

When she cast her eyes down to the beach, Haseul caught a glimpse of Sooyoung and Jungeun down by the lone girl isolated from the rest of them, simply sitting and looking unbothered—almost looking as if she were ignoring anything Sooyoung was trying to say to her. Haseul couldn't possibly imagine what was being said considering she wasn't being given a coconut like she or Jinsoul or any of the other people with them. It was just plain odd. 

What could that girl have possibly done to deserve treatment like that?

♦♦♦

[ _Sooyoung_ ]

"Good morning, Hyunjin!" Sooyoung beamed a grin down at her, her hand swinging her ax around while Jungeun lingered behind. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" 

As usual, however, Sooyoung was met with silence. Not even a glance in her direction, in fact, Hyunjin hadn't even opened her eyes. 

Absolutely no acknowledgment toward her.

And while she had grown used to Hyunjin's silent treatment—having had no progress with any sort of communication with her—it still irked Sooyoung slightly at the prospect of not having her attention. 

"Man," she sighed, letting her ax drop by her legs as she lightly kicked some sand purposely in Hyunjin's direction—she didn't even flinch, "you're never any fun. Can't you, I dunno, do something? Say something?" 

"Sooyoung—" she heard Jungeun murmur from behind her but she abruptly brought a hand up, cutting off whatever she was going to say while she kept her gaze firm on Hyunjin. 

"Hold on, hold on. We're just here to say hello, Jungeun." With no other objection from Jungeun, Sooyoung crouched down face-to-face with Hyunjin's impassive expression—every inch of her skin a stinging red, damaged and dry all over where the sun had relentlessly scorched her for days on end. "C'mon, Hyunjin," Sooyoung reached forward to take off her sunglasses, holding them limply in her hand as she looked at Hyunjin. "Don't you have anything to say?" Sooyoung tilted her head to the side, nudging her hand harshly against Hyunjin's shoulder. 

Hoping to gauge some sort of reaction from Hyunjin, she only watched as Hyunjin opened her eyes—blank as ever—make contact with her before shutting them close again, acting as if Sooyoung wasn't there at all. 

Feeling that familiar annoyance bubble up within her at Hyunjin's reluctance to cooperate with her. Chuckling dryly, Sooyoung stood slowly back up and put her sunglasses back on, the temptation to do something to Hyunjin burning brightly. But when she felt a warm hand wrap around her wrist she realized that no matter how badly she'd like to pummel Hyunjin to a pulp, she had to make sure she was ready for next week. 

So she inhaled sharply, smiling down at Hyunjin—who hadn't moved from her spot or changed her expression at all—and then turned to stride toward Jungeun. "You'll get your meal later, Hyunjin. I know you love the fish!" she called out, extending her arm out for Jungeun to nestle under, her hand loosely hanging from her shoulder. "Get ready for next week, too! It's gonna be a lot of fun!" she snickered, beginning to make their way out of the beach and toward the stairs that led back up to the resort. 

"We didn't have to see her," Jungeun mumbled. "We coulda just left." 

But Sooyoung scoffed, bringing Jungeun closer to her body as she began to idly swing her ax back and forth again. "Why not? It's only polite. Common courtesy, c'mon, Jungeun, I thought you were raised better."

Jungeun sighed and Sooyoung could feel her resisting her under her hold, so she let her shrug her arm off as they simply walked side-by-side, Sooyoung trying not to let her annoyance show at the display. She already knew why Jungeun was so reluctant about seeing Hyunjin—even if she couldn't fully understand it from her perspective—she just wished she'd move past it already. 

"Oh, come on," Sooyoung egged on, slipping her arm around Jungeun's waist as they passed the single guard they had at the post and started their ascent up the stairs. "Lighten up, _Jungie_." Smirking when she saw the redness bloom on Jungeun's ears, Sooyoung couldn't even find herself irritated when Jungeun rejected her advances again; putting a small bit of space between them out of spite. 

Sooyoung only laughed quietly when Jungeun sprung an extra two steps ahead of her, finding it amusing how closed off she could get with just about anything; Sooyoung found the trait fun to exploit. 

But she let Jungeun have her space until they made it to the top of the stairs, following the path that led back to the resort—passing a couple of Eden's residents and workers. When they made it back to the pool area of the resort, Sooyoung had intended to go straight to the cars out front and get going with Jungeun on finding more people and supplies but was stopped short when she heard her name called out on the other side. 

Turning her head and shifting her sunglasses down her nose, she saw the girl she and Jungeun had taken yesterday—Haseul, if she remembered correctly—sitting up on her knees and waving her arm over her head to grab her attention. Amused by her antics, Sooyoung let her curiosity get the best of her and sauntered her way over to Haseul and Jinsoul—another girl they had picked up in a similar fashion to Haseul. 

"Haseul," she greeted smugly, eyeing the chain around her ankle and feeling satisfied at the sight which only increased tenfold when she saw the other five in the exact same state.

"Sooyoung, _please_." Sooyoung felt a thrill at hearing the desperation in her voice, the uncertainty that tainted her words, the desire for information; it sent Sooyoung's mind reeling. "Please, there has to be some mistake. You said this was a- a sanctuary!" 

"Well, this is. Look around." With one arm extended, she swept it around in a gesture before propping her hand on her hip. 

"No, I mean, yeah, I _see_ that but—" Sooyoung saw the way her throat bobbed, either out of nervousness or out of hesitation, she wasn't sure but she enjoyed seeing it. "I'm chained up."

Grinning, Sooyoung swung her ax up and over to let it rest against the top of her shoulder, relishing in the way both Haseul and Jinsoul flinched at the sudden action. "Indeed you are," she drawled out, keeping it vague and simple so that she could have Haseul on edge. 

"Y-Yeah, but _why_?" she sputtered out just as Sooyoung heard Jungeun come up behind her. 

"You gotta prove yourself before you can join the big leagues." She loved dancing around the subject, she loved seeing the confusion in her eyes, and she loved imagining the gears grind and grind in Haseul's mind trying to piece it all together. 

"Prove myself how?" 

Pausing for dramatic effect, Sooyoung let her grin melt into a smirk, turning to Jungeun who had a rather hardened expression but she could see the excitement flickering behind her eyes; she knew her too well to miss it. Clicking her tongue and resting her weight on one foot, she faced Haseul who looked so small under her; so uncertain and vulnerable. Sooyoung absolutely couldn't wait for next week. 

"All you gotta do is fight in the pit, and live. It's that simple."

* * *

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	3. i try to cover my eyes when you're close.

[ _Haseul_ ]

It had been nearly a week since Sooyoung had told them what they had to do to "prove" themselves. 

Since then, Haseul had never known peace. 

"Haseul, c'mere." Haseul didn't even hesitate when Jinsoul opened her arms up, falling easily into her warm embrace just to keep the horrible thoughts and images that kept invading her mind at bay. 

She didn't know when Jinsoul's efforts of random and entertaining topics of discussion turned to comforting embraces and whispers of promises they both knew were nothing but empty words. Except, Haseul felt like Jinsoul was keeping her grounded better than anything else at the moment and maybe it's because of the lack of any other emotional support system, but Haseul felt like it was enough to anchor down for the moment. 

In reality, Haseul didn't know what would have happened if Jinsoul wasn't there with her. The entire week Jinsoul had just been there for her despite not knowing her for very long. Haseul even confronted her about it (or more like Haseul meekly asked Jinsoul why she was being so kind to her) but all Haseul got from her was a beaming grin and a long arm around her shoulders pulling her in for a warm and sweaty embrace. 

Haseul just figured Jinsoul was that type of person; a caretaker. Or maybe Jinsoul saw something in Haseul that made her feel protective over her. Haseul didn't really know and she felt like she didn't need to know because Jinsoul made her feel better in their situation.

But no matter what Jinsoul said or did for her, it didn't take away the fact that they were gonna have to fight for their lives (even if she wasn't sure exactly _what_ or _who_ they were supposed to fight). It plagued her mind to the point she was barely maintaining her appetite (another thing Jinsoul's been keeping up with; making sure Haseul's been eating the food Sooyoung and Jungeun—sometimes some other people who meander about the resort—they've been giving them). It was just hard for Haseul to even consider doing other things. 

So sometimes, Haseul would just ask questions to Jinsoul even if she knew that there were no answers she could give her, but thinking out loud helped Haseul try and get a better understanding of it (even if her frantic rambling always ended up with Jinsoul comforting her afterward). Besides, Jinsoul was always there to readily listen and even offer some of her own input. 

There wasn't much else to do with their time. 

Nearly every night they'd hear this loud truck somewhere around the resort revving the engine and blasting music or something of the like. Neither she nor Jinsoul knew what it was, but they chalked it up to being some sort of entertainment for the residents; like some little party or rodeo or whatever it was they did for entertainment. 

Then there were the women they saw sometimes flocking to Sooyoung, ranging from many different qualities about them but what seemed odd was the level of authority they had. Often times, Haseul would see other workers doing things off of _their_ command as well as just dressing better than most of the other people she's seen lounging about (the woman in the suit always came to mind, Haseul couldn't even imagine why it would be worth the time and effort to wear something so luxurious, but it wasn't any of her business). 

Not only that, but her and Jinsoul had been visited a couple times by certain girls who were much more generous and kinder than anyone else they had encountered. They introduced themselves as Vivi, Yeji, and Soojin, the former two proclaiming themselves as the "medics" of the resort but even Vivi said it was a bit of a longshot—especially since she mentioned that she was only a medical student and she had taken Yeji under her wing to help out around the resort. And Soojin introduced herself as the main cook who usually planned and initiated the meals throughout the days for everyone (it surprised Haseul for a moment when Soojin had said it, looking extremely young for someone to be in charge of all the food especially after seeming so soft-spoken and reserved).

And then there were the new arrivals—four of them—people who believed the same spiel she did and ended up chained to a tree with someone else, having no idea why it happened. Haseul had watched them being carried in and chained up in the middle of the night when she couldn't fall asleep. What was odd was that they were all brought in at the same time, so one of two things could have occurred; one, they were already a small group when they were brought in or, two, whoever found them had managed to snag up four stragglers looking for a new home. 

And, well, her questions were answered when they woke up later. They were all conversing with each other, slowly growing more aggressive and angrier by the minute the more they started to figure out what had happened to them. 

At first, Haseul didn't really think much of it—she figured that there wasn't much they could do to begin with given their current circumstance.

But then they attempted something the day after they were brought in; when one of the workers around the resort—looking barely past his teenage years—came by to deliver their daily evening dinner (some pork with cooked potatoes that Haseul actually enjoyed), one of them dove for legs while the other tried to wrestle the rifle strapped around the worker. The other two tried to reach them, but with the distance of trees and the restraining chains, they weren't able to assist their comrades. 

It didn't matter anyway, since the worker they had tackled had yelled out for help—instantly getting quieted with a fist to the jaw—was seemingly heard all around the resort and anyone who was armed came flooding out from the buildings and structures to pry off the two who'd attempted anarchy. 

(At that point, Haseul had forgotten about her meal and had burrowed into Jinsoul's side when she heard some of the other workers yell threats and profanities at the two, flinching when she heard the way the workers hit and beat them, and her hands shot up to her ears muffle the sounds of pain coming from the prisoners. She was just grateful Jinsoul wrapped her arms around her shaking frame to try and calm her down.)

When some of the workers had restrained them and the one unfortunate worker who looked worse for wear with an already swelling black eye and a busted lip, word had traveled to Sooyoung quickly. It wasn't long until she came down, Jungeun in tow as _always_ , looking much calmer than Haseul anticipated—even so much as sporting a small smile as she came around. 

But with a few softspoken words exchanged, some readjusting and movement that Haseul couldn't quite make out, and then the most agonizing scream she's heard since she was taken in pierced the air. And then it was met with another, further making Haseul hide as much as she could into Jinsoul's side. Her hands were clamped over her ears again as their screams increased tenfold, only to make it worse when they pleaded for her to stop—whatever it was _Sooyoung_ was doing to them. 

" _Holy shit_." She remembered how distraught Jinsoul sounded, her arms nearly crushing Haseul amid the chaos.

What chilled Haseul to the core was the _excitement_ painted all over Sooyoung's face when she caught a glimpse of the commotion. She seemed to be enjoying inflicting so much fear and pain onto someone without so much as an ounce of remorse. It _terrified_ Haseul. 

She didn't know a human being could be built like that.

To Haseul, Sooyoung was worse than any zombie she's ever encountered. Zombies are led by instinct, Sooyoung's led by sadism. 

♦♦♦

[ _Sooyoung_ ]

"All right, everybody," Sooyoung clapped her hands together and motioned for everyone to gather around her on the balcony. "Shall we begin?" 

Ten of her closest and most reliable allies flanked her, Jungeun right by her side as they overlooked the plaza below them. A crowd had already congregated under the setting sun, the light around the resort quickly fading and being replaced by the torches lit by the spectators around the pool. Excitement in the air for the upcoming entertainment. 

"As good a time as ever," Ryujin sighed, right on her other side as she crossed her arms over the balcony railing, her eyes roaming their confused contestants on the other side of the pool. 

"Oh, come on, Ryujin," Sooyoung chuckled, her hand snaking around Jungeun's waist and tugging her closer, smiling when she wasn't met with resistance. "Sound a little more excited."

Sooyoung could never understand the stick up Ryujin's ass, she was nearly just as much of a downer as Hyunjin was. It was just hard for Sooyoung to comprehend when Ryujin had it good—much, _much_ better than the ten about to fight for their lives below. (Sure, Ryujin might have been one of those ten a little while ago, but she lived and rose her way through the ranks.) 

"Cut her a little slack, Sooyoung." This time, it was Vivi speaking up next to Yeji who was mumbling something to Ryujin that Sooyoung couldn't pick up. Vivi was the sanctuary's token "doctor"—or the medical student Sooyoung was more than happy to get her hands on. 

"Yeah, yeah," Sooyoung sighed, feeling Jungeun's elbow lightly jab her in the side in some unspoken sign for her but she ignored it. "Her missing—ow! Jungeun!" she whipped her hand away to rub at the sore spot. 

Clearing her throat and acting as if nothing happened, Jungeun leaned back into Sooyoung—who begrudgingly wrapped her arm back around her. "Can we start choosing now?" 

"C'mon let's get this rolling," Siyeon said—another one of Sooyoung's trusted allies—impatiently drummed her fingers on the railing as she looked below. "This roundup is honestly not the best."

Sooyoung couldn't disagree with that, the people they had gathered for the fights weren't the most promising of candidates. Especially the two she had to put back in line. 

"Let's go!" Lisa cheered, bouncing up and down with Sana clinging to her and looking just as exhilarated as her counterpart. Contrasting with Tzuyu who Sana had also linked arms with looking as bored and impassive as ever. "I'm tired of waiting. Let's get this show on the road!"

"Yeah, okay, whatever." Rolling her eyes, Sooyoung roamed her eyes down below to all the prisoners she gathered up. Automatically, her eyes drifted to Hyunjin flanked and restrained in her chains by two people (not armed because the _last time_ she had been brought up to the pit by two of her armed workers Hyunjin nearly had a rifle in her grasp). One of them was holding onto the chain around her neck while the other was holding the chain connected to her hands, effectively restricting her movements in the least comfortable way possible. 

Sooyoung just couldn't help the grin that formed. 

And while she usually _always_ chose Hyunjin to ensure she won the betting, she couldn't help but survey her other options. The men she had no interest in, especially the ones who she _knew_ had no chance in the pit after what she had to to do them the previous night—she had mangled one of their hands each beyond repair and broken a few of their ribs after the little stunt they pulled. She let Vivi take a look at them in the morning, but made sure she didn't give them any sort of treatment. 

Sooyoung knew they wouldn't last long and, frankly, she wanted to eliminate any form of "rebellious influence" they might have over the other prisoners. 

And then she landed on the two women who clung to each other like magnets. Haseul and Jinsoul, she remembered, weren't brought in together but had somehow managed to connect. She hadn't quite seen that in a long while.

Sooyoung stole a quick chance at Jungeun tucked into her side, the flickering, dim lights from the torches below just barely illuminating the details of her face. 

She hadn't seen something like Haseul and Jinsoul since Hyunjin and Jungeun. 

Her eyes trained on Haseul in particular, noting how petrified she looked with all the commotion around her, no doubt confused and afraid that the crowd was reacting in such a way. 

"I'm gonna go with Haseul." Sooyoung almost laughed at the way nearly everyone's heads snapped over to look at her—not Tzuyu, however, she never really cared much for the entertainment. 

"Not Hyunjin?" Soojin's soft, quiet voice sliced through the silence she created. 

"Not Hyunjin," Sooyoung confirmed with a smug gin. "Haseul." 

"Which one of them is it again?" Sana asked, leaning over the railing with Lisa following her movements. 

"The taller one?" Lisa piped up, but Sooyoung shook her head. 

"The smaller one," she confirmed.

"Oh, you think she won't make it, right?" Siyeon nodded, seeming sure of the answer, but once Sooyoung shook her head again, she couldn't help laughing at the look of bewilderment on her face. 

"I think she'll make it." Sooyoung felt confident about her choice, even if it seemed a bit far fetched.

The way Sooyoung structured the betting process for every fight was a little unique; they did things a little differently. Rather than choosing who would survive, they choose someone and declare whether they would live or die, and sometimes, someone bets against them. Other times—usually whenever someone declares Hyunjin will live since she always does—no one goes against the grain. If their assumption is right, they win. If they're wrong, they lose. 

Winning essentially just gives them major bragging rights and some goodies they scavenged like clothing, weapons, snacks, good booze, and, on rare occasions, some sort of marijuana to take the edge off. The losers usually had to complete some type of chore as punishment—like cleaning up around the resort after the fight night or clean the pit for the next fights— _and_ miss out on the rewards 

Somewhere down the line, she heard Byulyi bark out a laugh. "You really think she's gonna live?" Leaning away from the railing to face Sooyoung. "Not only is she the smallest out of all of them, but she also looks like a chihuahua could take her down." 

Quickly to defend her pride and to fuel her competitiveness, Sooyoung turned toward Byulyi and grinned. "You wanna bet against me?" 

But Byulyi only put her hands up in mock surrender, shaking her head and turning back to look at the prisoners. "Nah, I'm good. You usually have good intuition, anyway."

Disappointed at the sudden backdown, Sooyoung pouted and dramatically leaned against Jungeun who groaned and pushed her away. "You're no fun, Byul," she mumbled childishly. 

"Yeah, I'm not betting against that, but I'll definitely take Hyunjin off your hands since you're not taking her." Knowing just how much Byulyi loves winning and rewards, Sooyoung should've seen it coming. 

"Hold on, why should _you_ get her?" Siyeon interjected. 

"Why not?" Byulyi shrugged nonchalantly. 

"That's not fair, I want her!" Sana's voice rose and it looked like Lisa was right behind her, but Sooyoung quickly cut in before the arguement could grow any bigger. 

"Jesus, shut up. We go in an order here, c'mon, guys. I'll say who can choose next." Successfully quieting them, Sooyoung casually draped her arm over Jungeun's shoulder, getting a little kick out of the fact that she _knew_ Jungeun would think she was choosing her. 

"Okay, well—" 

"Nuh-uh, baby, remember what I told you?" The quiet annoyance that instantly found itself all over Jungeun's expression made Sooyoung laugh even when Jungeun crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged her arm off her shoulders. "All right, Ryujin, you go," she decided without much thought, not wanting to give Byulyi, Siyeon, Lisa, or Sana the satisfaction of choosing one of their top competitors. 

Groans sounded from the aforementioned girls the moment Ryujin's name came out of her mouth, but Sooyoung didn't care about their hopes being crushed, she just found their reactions amusing. 

Clearly being caught off guard from being chosen first, Ryujin hesistated for a moment before she shrugged and said, "I'll take Hyunjin. Easy pick." 

"And that's that. All right, Vivi, you're up." Wanting to quickly move on and start the fights as quick as possible, Sooyoung passed the mic onto Vivi.

"Right, okay. I guess I'll go for Jinsoul, I think she can do it." 

"Nah, I'm betting against that. I don't think she'll last longer than a minute," Siyeon countered. 

One by one, Sooyoung called one of the girls out for them to choose their competitor for the night. Some bet against each other while others got off without any debate. And then it was just Tzuyu and Jungeun left. 

"All right, Tzuyu, shoot your shot." 

"No, it's fine. Jungeun can choose first," Tzuyu said uninterested. 

Sooyoung knew Tzuyu couldn't give a rat's ass about any of the betting or even the fights—which baffled her beyond belief—but she made a promise to Jungeun and she was determined to keep it. 

"Just choose."

Tzuyu looked up with an eyeroll from where she was messing with her nails to inspect the last two contenders. "Fine, the one with the broken hand." 

Sighing and rubbing her eyes impatiently, Sooyoung tried not to snap. "Both of them have broken hands. Which one are you picking?"

Having the _audacity_ to sigh exasperatedly, it took everything in Sooyoung to not just start the show and move on without either Tzuyu or Jungeun getting to pick. "The one who pissed his pants. He's a goner."

"Okay, great. Jungeun, you're turn." Grinning at the glare Jungeun shot her way. "You got a wide range of selections, so choose wisely." 

"Shut up," she grumbled.

"Well, now that that's finally settled," Sooyoung clapped her hands together before turning to grab the bullhorn she had left on the small glass table. "We can get started and then I'll celebrate my easy win 'cause Haseul's gonna take home the gold. I got a good feeling 'bout her, guys, she's gonna be _my_ new star." Ready to signal to her workers down below to let it all begin, Sooyoung raised the bullhorn to her mouth about to announce the start of Hyunjin's fight. 

"Fuck it, I'm betting against you and Haseul. I don't think she'll live," Jungeun quickly interjected right before Sooyoung could even get the words out of her mouth, making her drop her hand from the air and further prolonging the fight.

Surprised by the sudden spunk displayed, Sooyoung couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Why do you sound jealous?"

The bewildered look on Jungeun's face was the cherry on top. "Jealous? Jealous of what? I'm not jealous!"

Sooyoung only hummed, noting the levels of distress radiating off Jungeun despite not knowing exactly why. But Sooyoung couldn't dwell on it too much, she was too eager to get things rolling rather than caring about what set Jungeun off. 

"Whatever," she brushed off nonchalantly, speaking into the bullhorn loud and clear for the audience. "All right, everyone!" Instantly, the people below roared in anticipation for what was to come, the excitement in the air increasing tenfold now that they new the entertainment was about to begin. Sooyoung _loved_ the atmosphere. "You all know the drill! I know you're all excited for tonight!"

She was met with more cheers and torches flying high in their hands, the energy all the more contagious especially with the focus on her. Then she focused on Haseul again, bringing her eye-to-eye with her and seeing all the unrestrained emotions pouring off her. The way she almost looked like she was silently pleading with Sooyoung, trying hard to save herself from the horrible game she landed right in the middle of. 

And Sooyoung smirked right at her. 

"Let's start!" she yelled, dropping the bullhorn to point it at Hyunjin. "As always, let our 'MVP' go first." 

♦♦♦

[ _Haseul_ ]

It was much worse than what Haseul thought. 

She never could have imagined an entire spectacle. 

Especially not the entire population of the resort coming by to watch _living human beings_ being thrown into an empty pool to fight for their lives.

Haseul could only watch in horror as two of the workers began unlocking the chains around the girl's hand—the one her and Jinsoul talked about sometimes all the way out on the beach alone. Up close, she looked extremely more malnourished than Haseul previously thought. It looked like a single featherlike touch from a fly could give her the worst pain imaginable from how sensitive her skin looked. Blisters and cuts marred her like they were horrendous battlescars that would never go away. 

And when they released the chains from around her hands, Haseul was surprised to see the girl—presumably the one named Hyunjin based off what Sooyoung said—actually jump into the empty pool without a second thought. It was as if she'd been used to the treatment—to whatever it was Sooyoung had set up for her sanctuary. 

After kicking the sand around a bit, she then picked up an old, slightly rusted fire ax in her left hand and a machete in her right hand. Haseul was surprised that the crowd around the pool had grown louder after watching Hyunjin pick up the weapons. She couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing to be the crowd's favorite in this instance. 

"Bring 'em out!" Sooyoung yelled from the top of the balcony, some the other women alongside her cheering and hollering in excitement. When Haseul glanced down at Hyunjin, she didn't see her expression change at all. It was just blank and vague, Haseul couldn't even imagine what she was thinking in that moment. 

And then, from the other side of the pool—directly across from where Hyunjin stood and where there wasn't a crowd—two men came out and stepped into the plaza. But with them were two zombies attached and being held out by those dog catcher poles, wildly swinging their arms and snapping their mouths open and shut as they tried desperately to latch onto the men struggling to control them. 

Haseul gasped when she saw them, her hand immediately coming up to cover her mouth at the _inhumane_ display. 

She'd never seen anything like it. Haseul just continued being surprised by the dehumanization more and more the longer she stayed at the resort. 

"Oh my god," she heard Jinsoul mumble from beside her.

From what Haseul could see, the two zombies looked like Runners by how quick their movements were even when restrained by the neck—a very big contrast to the regular zombies and their slow, sluggish movements. 

"C'mon!" Sooyoung shouted again, a malicious grin on her face that scared Haseul more than it should have. "Get the stars of the show out here!" 

Nothing could have prepared Haseul for what she saw next. From the same direction where the other two men came from, came this big, lumbering tow truck blasting rock music for the entire beach to hear. On the hook of the tow truck was a squealing and squirming pig attached, clearly distressed while hoisted high in the air—the instant ache in Haseul's heart seeing such an innocent animal being treated in such a way came naturally, her hand darting out to hold on tightly to Jinsoul's on the ground. 

But then the truck made a u-turn around the curve of the pool, further revealing the poor pig but also revealing the _two_ Bruisers following shortly behind. 

Haseul felt physically ill at the sight. " _Oh, god_ ," Haseul whispered, her grip on Jinsoul's hand slacking as she stared in shock at the mutant zombies. Two of them mindlessly following the truck, hands desperately trying to grab onto the pig just out of reach, to distracted by the loud music and food right at their fingertips to pay any attention to the audience raging over them.

Standing at nearly twice the average height with their bulky torsos and gorilla-like arms, Bruisers could easily flip over cars if it wanted to. It was nearly impossible to kill them, from what Haseul's seen, with their skin toughened and practically impenetrable, bullets did nothing to stop the hulking tanks from coming at you.

And they can _certainly_ crush a person without a single problem.

Both of them yelled out, imitating something of a roar as their arms hit the ground below them and the walls of the pool, shaking the plaza and only envigorating the exhilarated crowd. 

"There's no way," Jinsoul sputtered, shaking her head rapidly. "There's no way she'll live. _There's just no way_." Haseul hadn't heard Jinsoul sound that distraught ever, not since she met her.

Haseul couldn't help but think the exact same thing because no one could kill Bruisers without a gun; which Hyunjin was evidently _lacking_.

"Get 'em in!" Sooyoung yelled out over the yells and music, signaling for the tow truck to hoist the pig further over the pool's and only luring the Bruisers closer off the edge.

Before they could both fall into the pool, the two men with the Runners shoved them both in, loosening the wire around their necks so that they fell to the ground quickly. The Bruisers followed quickly after, cushioned by the sand below as the truck drove away.

And then it was just one girl against four zombies; one against four.

Haseul couldn't see how she could possibly survive.

But there wasn't even an ounce of distress present on Hyunjin's face. Not even when one of the Bruisers yelled out and both of the Runners screeched in response before the two of them sprinted out toward Hyunjin.

One of the Runners, a middle-aged man wearing a tattered, bloody blue shirt was just a little faster than the other—most likely newly turned with a little color still in its skin rather than the sickly gray she was used to seeing—reaching Hyunjin so quickly it was hard for Haseul to keep up with it.

Right as it was leaping through the air with its mouth outstretched and its hands clawing through the air, Hyunjin swiftly swung the ax towards its cheek, blood spurting from the hit and staining the sand, sending it sprawling to the ground writhing and screeching.

It wasn't enough to kill it, but it was enough to incapacitate it for a few seconds at most.

Haseul watched in horror as the other Runner—a woman, this time, looking more mangled than the man—lunged for Hyunjin while she was vulnerable and recovering from the previous swing. But as if expecting the sudden attack, Hyunjin immediately sidestepped the Runner and shoved it hard behind her, making it collide into the wall and immobilizing it for a few moments.

With the two Bruisers slowly closing in—they've always slow and sluggish with their movements, but powerful with their attacks—Haseul watched with baited breath as Hyunjin turned toward the first Runner beginning to rise up from the ground to slash at its head with the machete, pooling dark blood on the sand. Then, using the momentum she had when she had swung at the Runner, Hyunjin spun around with her ax raised high into the air before stepping forward to launch it spinning full force at the closest Bruiser's head.

Haseul's jaw dropped at the level of precision on Hyunjin's end; the ax embedded right in the middle of the Bruiser's forehead. The impact had to have been so hard that it immediately killed it with one blow, causing the mutated zombie to stop in its tracks, knees buckling as it fell to the ground, momentarily blocking the other Bruiser's path and only slowing its trek to Hyunjin.

The crowd roared instantaneously once it went down.

It was like something out of an action movie; Haseul couldn't believe it.

With the other Runner finally recovered from its collision with the wall earlier, Hyunjin diverted her attention back to it with a hard shove, effectively making the zombie stumble and giving her the opportunity to finish it off with a swift cleave through its skull. The Runner instantly went limp, crumpling to the ground in a bloody heap of decaying flesh.

And all that was left was the other Bruiser.

The _last_ zombie.

Hyunjin seemed to pause; looking as if she were trying to calculate her next move before the Bruiser would corner her. 

There were plenty of other weapons around her, Haseul just couldn't figure why she wouldn't choose something else to aid her. Surely a machete couldn't take down a Bruiser singlehandedly. 

But, then again, Hyunjin _did_ manage to kill one with only an ax.

To Haseul's confusion, Hyunjin just stood there. Unmoving as the zombie picked up a little speed, its arms rearing up as it prepared to slam them down onto Hyunjin. Haseul was nearly compelled to yell out for her to run or move or _anything_. 

Just as Haseul's mouth was opening to shout a warning to Hyunjin, she ducked right under the Bruiser's arms as they began making their rapid descent downward, dashing right past it to only to turn around sharply, swinging the machete right behind its knee. Haseul winced at seeing the tendons split, blood immediately spurting out onto the sand once the machete sliced through, making the Bruiser buckle and teeter to one side from the sudden lack of balance. 

Again, Haseul was shell-shocked at the level of precision Hyunjin possessed. She'd never seen her style of fighting from anyone else; it was always cautious and hasty, messy and uncoordinated, panicked and fearful. But Hyunjin was just the complete opposite. To Haseul, it nearly seemed like she was superhuman. 

Within moments, Hyunjin was already moving to the other Bruiser's side even as the zombie was trying to twist around to grab at her with its engorged, torn hands. Except Hyunjin easily evaded its desperate grasp, the machete glimmering in even more dark blood as it easily severed the tendons and hamstrings around the knee. With the Bruiser tumbling down—its arms the only limbs keeping it from falling forward onto its stomach—Hyunjin wasted no time using her free hand to grab onto the back of the tattered zombie's shirt, hauling herself up onto its back even as the Bruiser began to thrash back and forth trying to buck her off. 

But with a tight grip and an opportunity opening up, Haseul watched as Hyunjin lunged forward with the machete onto its head once, then, with a little struggle trying to yank it out of its skull (and the Bruiser visibly faltering), Hyunjin swung the machete again in the same spot. 

And then the Bruiser slumped forward, its arms giving way as it fell unceremoniously to the ground with a blade lodged deep into its skull. 

It seemed like the crowd roared even louder than the last time, but Hyunjin didn't seem to acknowledge it at all. Haseul could only watched Hyunjin—now a panting, sweaty, and bloody mess—wipe something off her cheek when she forcefully wrenched the machete out of the Bruiser's head, tossing it to the floor next to its body. 

"What a fight, right, guys?" Sooyoung yelled out to the people still raving over all the zombies slain by a single girl. "Our very own mean, lean, fighting machine!" Despite the spotlight momentarily on Sooyoung, Haseul couldn't help but notice Hyunjin clamber back down to the sand, only for her to trudge over to the other Bruiser and grab hold of the ax that was still embedded into its head. 

"What's she doing?" she barely heard Jinsoul ask, sounding as if she were simply giving herself a rhetorical question out loud. 

Haseul couldn't even come up with a logical answer in her mind as Hyunjin yanked the ax out and looked up to the balcony where all the spectators (for a lack of a better word) were. Slowly, Hyunjin began raising the ax over her shoulder as if she were preparing to launch it, but with Sooyoung too busy in the engulfed in limelight of appealing her crowd she failed to take notice of Hyunjin's not so subtle or discreet assination attempt. 

Before Haseul—or _anyone_ for that matter—could react, Hyunjin's arm lurched forward and she sent the ax spiraling up at the balcony, aimed seemingly directly at Sooyoung. But instead of the rusted blade of the ax impaling Sooyoung in the face, it soard just _barely_ over her head and lodged itself in the wall right behind ahove her. 

Haseul had never seen such a large group of people get so quiet so fast. Rather than hollars and yells of outrage, the entire resort fell at a standstill with only the sounds of sparking fire from the torches and the distant rumble of waves crashing over the shore. Even the other spectators around Sooyoung seemed shocked by Hyunjin's display of defiance. But Sooyoung hadn't so much as flinched when the ax came inches away from ending her life.

Sooyoung only slowly turned to face the pool, her expression betraying nothing but impassiveness—deadly similar to what Hyunjin sported as well—as she brought the bullhorn in front of her mouth, the speaker crackling to life before Sooyoung's voice filled the silence. "Not cool, Hyunjin. _Not. Cool_." Sounding just like an exasperated parent fed up with their child's antics, Sooyoung then shoved the bullhorn forcefully into the arms of Jungeun (looking nothing short of shocked) before turning and disappearing into the hotel room. 

Finding her voice in her dried up throat, Haseul turned to Jinsoul who had her eyes focused entirely on the balcony, "Is- is that it?"

But Haseul probably shouldn't have expected much, not from someone who knew about just as much as she did. "I- I don't know." 

Wincing at how distraught Jinsoul looked, Haseul faced Hyunjin again who had moved back to the side of the pool where she had been dropped, two men already kneeled down and leaning over the edge waiting. Then, with what seemed like practiced ease, Hyunjin turned so that her back was facing the pool's wall and lifted her arms up. The men at the edge then leaned over and grabbed hold of her forearms to drag her out of the pool where the two that brought her in quickly shackled her hands and feet once more.

Just as they finished restraining Hyunjin, a group of the people in the crowd jumped into the pit and began dragging the Runners to the other side while the majority of them worked on lugging each of the Bruisers along as well with the tow truck pulling up to the pool already. It took a lot of effort and for a moment Haseul thought that the tow truck would fall into the pool because of the size of the Bruisers, but they managed to get all the corpses out with no trouble.

"You- you don't think they're gonna make _us_ fight Bruisers, right? Th-they can't have two for all of us. Right?" Haseul's voice cracked while she spoke, the panic and uncertainty bubbling in her the more she thought about fighting zombies nearly three times her size. 

"Bruisers?" Jinsoul turned to her with her brows furrowed, confusion marring her expression. "You mean Tanks?" But then Jinsoul shook her head, looking back to where the tow truck began dragging them away. "I don't know. I really don't—"

"C'mon." With a hand grabbing the back of Haseul's shirt roughly, she was suddenly pulled away from Jinsoul and forced to stand. 

"Wh- what?" Haseul sputtered, trembling as the man began unlocking the chain around her ankle. "Jinsoul?" her voice wavered and she felt lightheaded. Even when she tried to step back into the comfort of Jinsoul, she was held back again by the back of her shirt by someone else. "N- no, w- wait, _please!_ Jinsoul?" 

But there was nothing she could do, Haseul knew that. It only made things worse when she saw how distraught Jinsoul looked and before she could even reach out to try and grab her hand, Haseul was pulled back and sandwiched between two men bringing her around the pool. 

It was too much for her; the crowd, the smoke from the torches, her head feeling light, her heart hammering, her breath stuttering—Haseul felt like she was about to faint.

And then she was standing next to Hyunjin who was covered in sand and sweat and blood, who was taller than Haseul initially thought, who looked perfectly calm while Haseul was seconds away from completely breaking down. The crowd behind them wasn't as rowdy as they had been before much to Haseul's relief, only quiet conversations between the few who couldn't keep their thoughts to themselves—she didn't know how'd she'd cope if they were all yelling at her like they had for Hyunjin.

When Sooyoung came down, it all became quiet again and Haseul's fearmonly seemed to increase at her presence. She never could have imagined she would have been more afraid of a human being than a zombie—even if it was a Bruiser. 

The difference between Sooyoung and zombies was that she knew exactly what she was doing; zombies are only driven by their hunger. 

It still confused Haseul how someone could think and act like Sooyoung. 

"So." Haseul flinched when Sooyoung's voice abruptly filled the silence as she stepped in front of her and Hyunjin. "What do you have to say for yourself? Hm?" Sooyoung held her hands behind her back with a small, pleasant-looking smile on her face. If Haseul hadn't known any better, she would have thought Sooyoung was being genuine. 

Glancing at Hyunjin who only stared back at Sooyoung, Haseul couldn't believe the defiance the girl had. Not even a morsel of regret or fear or even _anger_ was present on her face. It was simply blank. 

Releasing a sigh through her nose, Sooyoung looked to the side and ruefully grinned, almost looking as if she were trying to smother laughter. When she turned back, Haseul flinched again when she instantly reached out to grab the chain that dangled from Hyunjin's neck and curl it around her fist, only making Hyunjin crane her neck at an awkward angle when Sooyoung snapped her hand up. 

"Frankly, Hyunjin," Sooyoung practically growled, her hand bringing the chain closer to her face so that Hyunjin was forced to be in close proximity with her. "I didn't quite appreciate your little stunt. I know you missed on purpose—don't go thinking I'm that dense. You kill me, you kill yourself; you know that." Haseul couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But you should know by now not to pull those little tricks just to try and embarrass me." 

Without warning, Sooyoung's other hand instantly barreled into Hyunjin's jaw making Haseul yelp and cover her mouth with her hand. It had been so sudden; completely out of nowhere.

Even if the impact wasn't enough to send Hyunjin sprawling—maybe because Sooyoung was still holding Hyunjin from the chain around her neck—one of the men behind her kicked her knee harshly, unbalancing her and getting her into a kneeling position before Sooyoung. 

And still, when Hyunjin picked her head back up with a split lip dripping with blood, she looked at Sooyoung with nothing more than a passing glance; acting as if she had only been mildly disturbed. Haseul just couldn't believe what she was seeing. 

Hyunjin's defiance seemed to just anger Sooyoung all the more; Haseul could see just how white her knuckles were becoming from holding the chain so tightly, the tautness in her jaw, and the fire reflecting off her eyes from the torches. 

Haseul knew Sooyoung was about to unleash hell onto Hyunjin.

Just like she did to the other prisoners when they tried to escape. 

But Haseul couldn't bear it; she couldn't bear another ruthless beating right before her very eyes. 

So when she saw Sooyoung's fist rise up, she couldn't stop herself from stepping forward—a sudden new urge of bravery overcoming her—and grabbing hold of Sooyoung's elbow. "No!" she yelled with her eyes closed, the volume of her voice surprising not only herself but everyone in the resort. 

And when she opened her eyes, she saw the confusion masking Sooyoung's expression, her clenched hand frozen in midair. Whatever had come over her to stand up to Sooyoung immediately washed away when she shook her hand off her elbow, her previous fear coming back to her like a snake snapping its jaws around a mouse. 

Because now, instead of Sooyoung being focused on Hyunjin, all her attention was on _her_. 

Letting go of Hyunjin's chain, Haseul watched petrified as a malicious grin formed on her face. "Oh, Haseul," she chuckled darkly, her hand finding its way in between her shoulderblades, subtly forcing her to walk forward and closer to the edge of the pool. "You shouldn't have done that." 

And then, Haseul was shoved roughly forward, teetering over the edge of the pool and falling onto her hands and knees into the sand. Quickly scrambling up (and ignoring the pain she felt when she fell in), Haseul turned around in a panic when she barely saw Sooyoung whispering in someone's ear before the man nodded and disappeared in the crowd. 

"Next up!" Sooyoung then addressed the crowd, instantaneously bringing back the energy they had before. "The runt!"

* * *

haha... hey

wow that's a lot of words

okay so a lot of new characters, yeah, kinda last minute they weren't in the original plan but, hey, we love to see 'em right. some of them are more major than others so don't expect them to all be super important, i love them all dearly but they're not the main characters today.

also i wrote this last bit while struggling to keep my eyes open so if it looks rushed or if there are mistakes, no it doesn't and no there isn't.

anyways i'm tired good morning its 4am  
[twt](https://twitter.com/Kiiddway)  
[cc](https://curiouscat.qa/Kiiddway)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes hello im barely still alive

**Author's Note:**

> i love writing zombie apocalypse fics they're so much fun  
> but this one has a twist and it's gonna get MESSY, man. 
> 
> so enjoy :]


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